CANADA – The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported that there are currently 187 active wildfires in Canada today, Sunday, with 97 of these fires burning out of control. Over 26,000 people have been forced to evacuate to safety as fires rage in central and western Canada.
Citing local officials, local media reported that more than 17,000 people have been evacuated in Manitoba, 8,000 people in Saskatchewan and 1,300 in Alberta.
In a post on X, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he convened the federal Incident Response Group as wildfires intensify across the country, prompting evacuations and military assistance.
Carney said Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been deployed to assist with air evacuations in Manitoba, including in the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation community.
He said the federal government will match donations made to the Red Cross for wildfire-affected areas and is working with provinces and Indigenous leaders to ensure the safety of residents.
“The scale and complexity of these air evacuations cannot be overstated,” Carney wrote on X.
Evacuation centers have opened across Manitoba, including one in Winkler, just 12 miles from the US border. According to media reports, fire smoke drifts south into parts of the US, prompting air quality alerts in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
The US Department of Agriculture announced Saturday it has sent an air tanker and 150 firefighters to assist in Alberta.